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Sources of Energy
Today we get most of our energy from fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. But
there are a couple of issues with this.
The first issue is the environmental damage caused by burning fossil fuels.
When fossil fuels are used to generate electricity they release greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere. This contributes to global warming.
The second issue is that all of the easy-to-find and easy-to-extract fossil fuels
have already been found. This means that as time goes on, it will continue to get
more expensive to find and extract fossil fuels. This in turn will lead to higher
prices for the end consumer.
Taking both of these issues with fossil fuels into account, you can see that
alternative energy sources will need to come into play in a significant way in
order to meet the global energy demand. These alternative energy sources
include renewable energy such as solar energy, wind, biomass, hydro-electric,
and geothermal.
But why use solar energy?
Well...
Of all the renewable energy sources, solar energy holds the most promise for
providing a sustainable energy source. The German Advisory Council on Global
Change is forecasting that by 2100 solar power will be the largest source of
global energy.
The Solar Resource
There are several reasons why solar energy is the most promising alternative
energy resource for our future.
Scientists estimate that our Sun will continue producing solar energy for another
5 billion years! Talk about a sustainable energy source! We definitely do not
have to worry about running out of solar energy. It is the ultimate renewable
energy available to us.
In one hour enough sunlight reaches the Earth to supply its energy needs for an
entire year. So not only is it sustainable, but it provides more than enough
energy for our needs. We just need to continue improving our solar technology
so that we can capture more of this energy and put it to productive use.
But even with today's technology solar energy makes sense. A 100-square mile
solar energy field in the Southwestern United States could provide enough
energy to meet the entire U.S. energy demand. And for a homeowner who takes
advantage of solar electricity, solar heating, solar cooling, and solar lighting,
their home will use less energy than it produces.
What it Means for Homeowners
As the demand for energy increases, solar energy will come to play a dominant
role in global energy production.
Homeowners will benefit from this in two ways...
First, as more utilities, businesses, and even homeowner use solar technology, it
will become less expensive. This will make solar energy a great choice for
homeowners to use for their homes. Additionally, this will also drive more R&D
into solar energy resulting in even more efficient technology.
Second, as more utilities build solar power plants, there's a good chance the
energy you receive from your utility will be clean, renewable solar energy.
Before you know it, all homes will be net energy producers! And that energy
will be clean, sustainable, and renewable.
There are several solar applications a homeowner can use to take advantage of
photovoltaic solar power...
Solar electricity
Photovoltaic cooling
Photovoltaic solar lighting
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)
Concentrating solar power is a type of solar thermal energy that is used to
generate solar power electricity.
This technology is aimed at large-scale energy production. Because of this, as a
homeowner, you won't use concentrated solar power directly, but could take
advantage of it through a green-pricing service offered by your regulated utility
or an alternative energy supplier.
1-Solar Electricity
Home solar power systems can help you...
1. Save money by reducing or eliminating
your monthly electrical bill
2. Become less dependent on your utility
company
3. Make a positive impact on the earth
For homeowners, this can all be accomplished by
installing a photovoltaic solar power system.
Solar Electricity Topics...
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4.
The exact BOS components you need will depend on the type of PV system you
install.
Types of PV Systems
The three most common types of photovoltaic systems for residential solar
power are...
1. Grid-Tied PV System
2. Grid-Tied PV System with Battery Backup
3. Stand-Alone PV System
2-Solar Heating
Residential solar heating
systems can be used to heat your
home's living spaces, household
water, or swimming pool.
There are several applications
available to homeowners for
heating with solar energy.
Whether you are interested in
active or passive solar energy
systems, there are solutions to
suit your needs.
But before we go through the different solar power heating applications, let's
take a look at the basic components all these heating systems have...
Components of a Solar Heating System
All solar thermal systems have three basic system components or functions...
Collection: A method to capture the solar energy coming from the Sun and
convert it to heat. Passive solar homes use the house design and structure to
collect solar energy. Active systems will use boxes called solar collectors to
capture the solar energy.
Storage: A method to store the heat that has been collected. Solar thermal energy
can be stored using thermal mass, water tanks, or rock bins that hold heated air.
Distribution: A method to distribute the heat throughout your home. This can be
done using either mechanical means (fans, pumps) or basic physical principles
(convection, conduction, and radiation).
Now that you know what the basic components of a solar thermal energy system
are, let's take a look at the actual applications you can use for heating with solar
power...
Solar Heating Applications
There are three types of solar power heating applications you can use for your
home...
Solar Space Heating uses solar thermal energy to heat the space inside a
building.
Solar Water Heating uses solar thermal energy to heat your household water.
Solar Pool Heating uses solar thermal energy to heat your swimming pool
water.
These three basic heating applications can also be broken down into active solar
energy systems and passive solar energy systems.
Active systems use mechanical devices such as fans and pumps for the
collection, storage, and distribution of the solar energy.
Passive systems don't use mechanical devices. Instead they use design elements
and basic physical principles such as convection, conduction, and radiation for
the collection, storage, and distribution of the solar energy.
Benefits Of Heating With Solar Power
Heating with solar energy has economic, environmental, and energy
independence benefits for homeowners...
Economic: The economics of solar power will save you money! A Florida Solar
Energy Center study found that homeowners using solar water heating saved
50% to 85% on their annual utility bills compared to those using electric water
heaters!
Environmental: Solar thermal energy applications do not pollute! By heating
your home with solar energy, you will reduce your carbon footprint and be
helping in the battle against global warming.
Energy Independence: By heating with solar power, you will protect yourself
from future utility price increases thereby gaining your independence from the
utility company! You will also help your nation reduce it's dependence on
foreign oil.
As a homeowner, solar power heating provides a number of simple and cost
effective ways for you to take advantage of solar energy.
Whether heating your home, your household water, or your pool, there's a solar
heating application that's just right for you!
3-Solar Cooling
There are three basic approaches
to solar cooling that you can apply
to your home.
The first is passive cooling, which
uses passive solar design techniques
to minimize the impact the summer
sun has on your home.
The next two approaches, solar
thermal cooling and photovoltaic
cooling, convert solar energy into
heat or electricity for use in a
cooling appliance. These two
approaches take advantage of the high solar intensity on hot days, which is
when cooling is most needed, to provide the energy needed to power the cooling
device.
Passive Cooling
Passive cooling uses passive solar design principles to reduce or eliminate your
home's need for mechanical cooling systems. By incorporating passive solar
design principles into your home's design and landscaping, your home will be
naturally comfortable and you will have lower energy bills.
These principles include...
1. Orienting your home to minimize the amount of sunlight that hits it
during the hot summer and to take advantage of the prevailing breezes.
2. Using landscape and structural elements for shading.
3. Creating pathways throughout the home for natural ventilation.
4. Insulating your home to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Solar Thermal Cooling
Solar thermal cooling is primarily used in commercial settings, but it is
becoming more common in residential applications. There are two applications
suitable for residential settings where solar thermal energy is used to drive the
cooling process.
Solar Absorption Cooling uses solar-heated water to drive an air conditioner.
The air conditioner uses a liquid that consists of an absorbent and a refrigerant.
Solar heat is used to separate the absorbent and the refrigerant from each other.
The refrigerant is then compressed and evaporated to create a cooling effect for
your home. The evaporated refrigerant is then recombined with the absorbent to
go through the process again.
Solar Desiccant Cooling doesn't really cool the air; it removes moisture from
the air which decreases the relative humidity. The moisture is removed by
passing the air through a material called a desiccant. As the desiccant absorbs
the moisture from the air, it becomes saturated and loses its ability to continue
absorbing moisture. At this point, the desiccant is then regenerated, or dried,
with solar heat which evaporates the moisture into the outside air. It is then
ready to absorb more moisture from the air entering your home.
Photovoltaic Cooling
Photovoltaic cooling uses PV panels to generate solar electricity to power an
electrical cooling device. A PV system uses an inverter to convert the DC-power
generated by the PV panels into AC-power. The AC-power provides the
electricity to power a conventional air conditioner. There are even some air
conditioners that can be powered directly with DC-power. In those cases there
isn't a need for an inverter!
Photovoltaic cooling can also be used to cool your attic. Using a photovoltaic
solar attic fan or solar roof vents, you can improve the ventilation in your attic by
increasing the air circulation through the area. By cooling your attic you will
reduce your home's overall cooling expenses.
4-Solar Lighting
There are two primary applications of solar lighting that you can use for your
home:
1. Outdoor Solar Lighting
2. Day lighting
Outdoor Solar Lighting
Outdoor solar lighting uses photovoltaic solar power
technology to convert solar energy into solar electricity.
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Garden lighting
Pathway lighting
Driveway lighting
Patio lighting
Architectural lighting